COVID-19: Toronto mayor urging those aged 70 and older to get vaccinated, many spots unfilled

Toronto’s mayor is urging anyone 70 years or older to get vaccinated.

“We have the vaccines, we have the staff in place to do it and we have the appointments, so all we need now is you,” Tory said.

“It’s very, very important for people across the city of Toronto to get vaccinated.”

He said three new COVID-19 mass vaccination clinics will open Monday, but there are still many appointments unfilled.

“We’re now in a position where we have lots of appointments available, even appointments available for this coming week,” Tory said.

“We need you to sign up, not to put it off.”

1:46 COVID-19: Questions raised around who should get leftover vaccines

Ontario reported 2,448 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, the fourth consecutive day with more than 2,000 daily cases.

Tory says more than 450,000 people in Toronto have received doses thus far.

“I will say I’m not satisfied, and that doesn’t mean I’m critical or angry with anybody, it just means I’m asking people to take advantage of the opportunity to get vaccinated now and we’ll be satisfied when we have a sold out situation,” Tory said.

Ontario has fully vaccinated 309,285 people and has administered nearly two million doses of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Michael Garron Hospital and the Toronto East Health Network opened up a vaccination standby list for those who are part of the province’s Phase 2 populations.

But the website crashed shortly after it opened up due to high volume, the Toronto East Health Network said.

On Sunday it said it has taken down the site for now due to “an extremely high volume of submissions” while it figures out how to move forward on standby vaccinations.